I am a beginner in (Ranorex) test automation software so I have some basic questions for which I would need your advice:

- how to Initialize the startup environment
If I record multiple test scenarios independent from each other it is probably best if they are run from "clean" desktop. So I would like to repeat two steps: 1) Close all forms/applications 2) run recording
What is the best way to do "1) close all worms" or is there any other better way to prepare the startup environment ?

- can I run multiple recordings at the same time and how
Ranorex generates EXE files which can be run independently to execute test scenarios. So in order to run multiple tests at the same time I should a) run them on different computers b) create separate user accounts and execute EXE files as task scheduler jobs assigned to different users ?

- is automatic sending reports to e-mail supported
I would like to receive reports on testing results on mail if they fail. Does Ranorex support that kind of automation or should I read some files and send them by mail manually ?

All issues you have described are best to solve using virtual machines and continuous integration tool (e.g. Jenkins, Bamboo, etc...). I personally use a combination of Jenkins CI and VSphere VMs. With properly configured Jenkins job, you can schedule when and where the tests are running. Additionally, you can instruct VM to restart/restore VM snapshot to a default state, so you don't have to worry about changes made with previously running tests.

Jenkins can also send emails with success/failure message and some other useful details. You can for example define to whom to send email, based of the type of failure. And unlike of scheduled jobs (using windows scheduler), Jenkins can hold the jobs in stack and run them sequentially (start next job once the previous one is finished).

In other words, no, you can't run multiple tests at the same time (on the same machine). Not even with multiple user accounts because Ranorex needs realized desktop. And if you run your tests via windows scheduler (using multiple accounts), only one account will be actually visible and so your tests will fail if started on other accounts.

BTW, it seems the upcoming major version of Ranorex should bring us some of the Continuous Integration functionality so it may be possible to run tests on multiple machines directly from Ranorex environment (without using 3rd party tools like Jenkins). But I think this new Ranorex functionality will never fully replace tools like Jenkins.

Yes, you are correct. In order to create tests you would need a Premium Node-locked or Premium Floating license. If you want to execute tests on dedicated machines, a Runtime Floating license is sufficient.

Detailed information about the different types of licenses can be found at our website.